In the morning of Saturday 8th April I popped to the market just to buy strawberries for 50 lira (£2.08). I had some for breakfast with a cup of Yorkshire tea when I got back. I went to Bim supermarket in the afternoon and I only bought some essentials;
1 wholemeal loaf 10.00 6 eggs 16.50 500g of pide bread 19.00 Total spent 45.50 lira (£1.89).
I got a top up of water, 19 litres for 30 lira (£1.25) at Selçuk Market. I was getting excited because I would get to see my parents in just over 3 weeks, then I was off to Rhodes and would be reunited with Captain Caveman again in Vietnam, shortly after that. For lunch I warmed up some of the minestrone soup and it was delicious. I’d arranged to meet Pamela and Mark at Rehab bar in the afternoon because I still had some of the bottle of red wine from Wednesday left. It also meant I got to see the lovely Angelique and Tay. While we were playing pool, I got a pleasant surprise; our friend, Babs, was back in town and had popped in to Rehab bar to see me and joined us for a drink – her cocktail was an aperol spritz. After finishing the wine in Rehab, Mark, Pamela and I went to Aşkın’s bar and we each carried some of Pamela’s shopping. We just had the one drink there before heading down to Sofra bar. It was all a very civilised evening up until then. Friends, Cath and Keith, joined us and we were talking about landlords putting rents up by more than the 25%. It’s illegal but unfortunately it’s happening to a lot to tenants here, as landlords want to get new people in who will pay more. We had a good time in Sofra bar, for the rest of the night. I made sure that in between my drinks I had a water and some of the time I sat without a drink, while Cath was double parked. Prices of drinks were still reasonable in Sofra bar; large draft beer or glass of wine 65 lira (£2.70), small draft beer 45 lira (£1.87), shot of Jameson’s 50 lira (£2.08). I ended up doing karaoke (again) which Mark took a video of. It was generally a good night until it was almost time to go home. Mark and I had been keeping an eye on Cath, when Keith fell over and banged his head on a bench. It was home time for them, we put them in a taxi which took ages because neither of them remembered where they lived but one of the taxi drivers and Ahmet, the bar man, knew. Mark said he’d walk me home but instead of going home we ended up going to Dalyano’s for a glass of wine. I got my coat zip stuck about halfway up and I couldn’t free it, so ended up getting upset. I went home by myself from Dalyano’s (which isn’t far) and Mark got a taxi home, but called me to check I was home safely. I was, but I couldn’t get my coat off until he suggested I take it off over my head and look at the zip in the morning. I think I’d got a bit emotional as I was concerned about Cath and Keith more than my coat.
The Aussies were leaving for their road trip early on Wednesday 5th April so I’d been invited to have breakfast with them before they set off. The Turkish people here, tend not to get up early for breakfast and I thought we might struggle to find somewhere open. I went downstairs, as planned, at 8am, it had rained in the night and there were checks being done on the woodwork outside, which looked great. I also had to have a look at the improvements they had been working on last night. Greg drove us to Ekin around 8.30am where we were met by a rather large slobbering black dog, called Negro, who was super friendly. The owner asked us if we could wait for half an hour while he got set up and so we walked about a bit, taking some photos of the beautiful lake. I wasn’t going to eat the Turkish breakfast for 2 reasons; 1, it often gives me a bad stomach and 2, I had Fat Club weigh-in at 3pm. I realised it would be considered rude to just watch Amanda and Greg eat so I decided to go for it. It was my first Turkish breakfast this year! Just as it was served, it started to rain and we had to move inside. The scenic views were now no longer picture perfect and we were lucky to have seen the lake views we did, before the rain came. The breakfast was amazing and I really enjoyed it but I knew it would mean a gain on the scales. I ate cheese, jam, honey, bread, cheese rolls, olives, chips and 2 types of savoury gözleme (Turkish pancakes), washed down with Turkish tea and a fresh pomegranate juice. We couldn’t finish it all so Amanda packed 2 small Tupperware boxes up (that’s why I love her) and gave me one with the cheese in. The total bill came to 585 lira (£24) which, considering how much food is provided, was a bargain. Of course, before we even got back in the car, I had stomach issues. Back home we packed the car up with luggage, in the rain, then said our goodbyes. Even Kitler, the abandoned cat, came to say farewell. I almost didn’t go to Fat Club because I knew it would be disappointing but I forced myself to find out how much damage a Turkish breakfast on weigh day could do.
At Fat club, the inevitable happened; I had gained weight! It was only 1.1kg (2.4lb) but that was enough to undo the previous losses and I only had myself to blame! A more sensible person might have then decided to rectify the bad result by being really good. However, as some of you could have predicted, that was not what happened and I got a lift up to Rehab bar with Carol. I ended up ordering a bottle of wine, as it works out a bit cheaper than having several glasses. I didn’t finish it all as I had to leave to meet Jamie and Ann at Aşkın’s bar. Tay wrote my name on it and said he’d save it for me. When I arrived at Aşkın’s, Jamie and Ann were already there and had been joined by Mark and Pamela. I ordered a red wine and we all had a nice drink, it’s one of my favourite bars to sit and people watch usually. After a drink there we moved on to Sofra bar for a bit more refreshment. By 10.30pm, I was leaving Sofra bar with Jamie to go to Umit’s birthday drinks at Sunset bar. Our friend Annie had invited us along and Pamela was already there, as was Yusuf the pharmacist and the flower girl. I had a glass of red wine, Jamie had a glass of white. We thought we were only there for 30 minutes, saying hello to Annie and her friends. Jamie and I do not remember dancing there, having more drinks or leaving but it turns out we were there 90 minutes and had 3 drinks.
We were back in Sofra by midnight, Mark had rejoined us too, and it turned in to quite a night – not that Jamie or I could remember much of it. The photos were a big help to work out the rest of the evening but it was a little concerning.
I was up early on Sunday 2nd April because I had organised my first boat trip of the year. It was later than last year but this year didn’t seem to be as hot yet. Ivona, the Captain’s wife, was sick and couldn’t make it. The weather was dull and quite cold but we weren’t going to let that put us off. Captain İsmail had decided we would go to Little Dalyan, a sheltered spot behind Iztuzu beach, then the lake at Köyceğiz instead of the sea due to the threat of storms and choppy seas. The Princess of Ekincik boat was leaving from outside River Terrace at 10am, it was costing £30 each (drinks extra) but included food for the day. On board Princess of Ekincik with Captain Ismail and his team of 2 young Turkish lads, were Jamie, David, Christine, Nanny Kay, Viv, Paul, Anna, Amanda, Greg and me – 10 of us in total. There was only Anna who I didn’t know previously. Tea and coffee was served with fresh pastries and Ivona’s home-made cookies. We had to be quick with the cookies before Nanny Kay snaffled them as she’d had them before and was rather partial. I indulged and they have got to be the best cookies I’ve ever had. The pastries weren’t too shabby either and I had 1 each of the 3 flavours. My healthy eating was definitely on the back burner for today, although I had already decided that I would curb my wine intake in an effort to limit the damage. Our first stop of the day was at Little Dalyan so that those who wanted to, could go for a walk along the beach or even chance a swim in the sea. It was too cold and blustery for me to chance it and most were content to just be there and have a leisurely walk along the beach. Amanda and I collected shells, Jamie collected glass and it was all rather pleasant. I had a bit of a shocker as I found out that Captain Caveman had lead Anna to believe I was disabled. She seemed rather impressed that I could walk on a beach and asked if I was managing ok. When I asked more, it turned out that Captain Caveman had said I ‘didn’t’ walk because of the leg injury in April 2020, which she’d interpreted as ‘couldn’t’ walk!!
We were back on the boat just before noon and I decided to take one for the team with Jamie and sample the beverages. It was the first trip of the season so we needed to check the beer was cold and the wine was up to scratch – it was. Jamie had Drew on the phone and I tried to get a photo with him on the screen. The sun was out and it had turned out quite pleasant as Ismail was getting ready to prepare our BBQ lunch. The food was incredibly good and there was certainly plenty of it for us all to have a good plateful.
After lunch we sailed up the river to the mud baths where Greg was the only one brave enough to sport his swimmers and get in the dome. Every one of the guests was lovely and it was so nice to just have a laugh with old and new friends. The boat is one of my favourites and I find the owners really respectful and humble too, which is nice. On the way back a few of us had another drink and we had a bit of music for ambience while İsmail served up an array of afternoon treats. There was some delicious homemade cake from Ivona and lots of fresh fruit. I stuck to my 3 red wines and was pleased with that. We all said our goodbyes after a lovely day and I walked back with the Aussies, where they invited me in for a gin and bitter lemon. We’d all had a great day on a lovely boat trip and, as none of us are sun worshipping types, it didn’t matter that it had not really been the best weather. Amanda and Greg had decided to stay a bit longer in Dalyan and would be here until Wednesday. After that, they would head up the West coast towards Bursa, then İstanbul.
I woke up on Thursday 23rd March feeling full of flu. I was still cold despite sleeping in pyjamas and my dressing gown under two duvets. I made myself a cup of Yorkshire tea and a fruit salad to force down for breakfast. In my fruit salad were 2 bananas (even though I don’t like them), 1 kiwi fruit, strawberries and some low fat yoghurt (which I also don’t like). As I was eating the fruit, I was finding it more difficult to chew, swallow or breathe and it was getting worse. As I tried to drink the tea, the roof of my mouth was super sensitive and it felt like it was blistering despite the tea not being too hot. I went to the bathroom and got a bit of a shock, half of my face had started to swell up, my lips were tingling and my throat felt tight. Then it dawned on me, the side of my mouth I’d eaten the kiwi fruit on yesterday and today was more sore than the other side. The face swelling, and now tingling, was similar to when I ate a mussel in Belgium – I was having an allergic reaction. I was out of antihistamine tablets and so I had to go to the pharmacy to get some. It turns out allergies to kiwi fruit are more common than I’d thought. Once I’d got the allergic reaction under control, after several cold flannels to the face and head, I felt able to eat and had a Slimming World friendly mushroom pasta for lunch. I did still have a bad cold but I could breathe a bit better and the blistering mouth was recovering. I forced more Strepsils down, had 5 walnut halves, some sugar free lemon drink, a satsuma, lemon tea and linden tea, as well as 3 litres of water, in an afternoon. I was still taking the ibuprofen and paracetamol alternatively every 4 hours in the hope I’d feel better soon. My Mom had been told that some work had been done at her apartment and she asked if I’d mind checking on it from the outside. I got some warm clothes on and took myself round there. The walk was fresh, the work had not even been started and I noticed that our complex was much more pleasant to be walking back in to these days – Elite Maintenance seemed to be doing well so far. For dinner I had more chicken curry with steamed rice and tried for an early night. I was coughing a lot when laying down so I was still awake after midnight.
On Friday 24th March I was starting to improve a bit! I could still have stayed in bed all day but I couldn’t because I had plans. I went to the shop to buy some essentials. Here’s what I bought and the prices in lira;
I had a banana and linden tea for breakfast then got ready for a couple of days out of Dalyan. I had vegan pasta bolognese for lunch, which was healthy and tasty. Unfortunately, I was going to miss Roy’s 60th birthday bash at Tez bar at 4.30pm today. It was disappointing as Roy and Debbie (Darling) are 2 of my favourites, but it had been booked a while for a trip with friends to Fethiye and Hisarönü this afternoon. After a taxi ride with Fikri, from Dalyan to Fethiye and running some errands in the town we got a lift to Hisarönü. We went to Fez bar, and the guy there took a photo of Mark and I at the entrance to the bar so that I could send birthday wishes on. I thought it would be funny to send it to Debbie (Darling) with apologies for going to the ‘wrong’ birthday venue – Fez, not Tez! I couldn’t finish the beer because I was still suffering from the sniffles. That evening, our friend cooked a lovely chicken pasta dish for dinner and I really enjoyed it. I also decided that I would have another break from my blog for a couple of days, by which time I hoped this cold had gone.
I’d like to have been writing that I had stuck to the diet a little more on Monday 20th March. I’d consumed 86 syns in one day yesterday but today was definitely no better. For breakfast I had strawberries and then a second breakfast of homemade masaman curry with steamed rice. At 1pm I joined a free course which was about setting up an online business. It was interesting and I quite enjoyed it, although timing-wise it wasn’t going to be something I could pursue immediately. I noticed the gardening company had made a big difference and I even took photos and video so that I could show Captain Caveman and The Aussies. Just after 3pm, I got a message from Kate to say her and Mark were having a beer at Okyanos with Jamie and Drew if I fancied it. Drew had been to collect some seeds from Kate and, as it was sunny, they’d decided on a cheeky beer in the sun. This was my last Monday of not being at work so I think subconsciously I’d decided to go mad!
I turned up looking very tired from last night’s antics and had to have a shandy to drink. We decided to go to Aşkın’s bar as Kate thought it was open, but we were a bit premature. Mark and Kate went to Tez’s instead but I needed to pop back home and change my top. By 5.30pm Jamie, Drew and I were sat outside at Waterfall bar having another beer or 2 in the sun. Drew went to get Norman and Edna because Skippy was in and Edna would be mad if she didn’t get to see him. Mark and Kate rejoined us for one but they weren’t staying out much longer on account of them wearing summer wear and it turning a bit nippy once the sun was in. Janet and Kev came to join us and there was quite a crowd sat outside. Instead of being good and sticking to my diet and my budget, I decided to join the boys for a treat. Because I’d finally got some more money I’d been owed for a while, I agreed to tag along for a meal at China Town with them.
I ended up having 90 syns in total today because I shared Jamie’s bottle of white wine, ate prawn crackers, a spring roll, a piece of prawn toast, a chicken wing and half of my sweet and sour chicken with chicken fried rice. It was so lovely but I knew it would mean a bad result at weigh-in this week. The meal with drinks had cost me 600 lira (just over £25) so it was rather pricey for my tight budget, but it tasted amazing!!!
On Thursday 16th March I had 1 slice of buttered wholemeal toast, and a linden tea for breakfast. Outside, there were signs of a gardener here, Elite Maintenance had started work on our communal garden! I had decided to be extravagant and treat myself to a very much needed hairdresser appointment as I’d not been since September. Because it’s a luxury and I’m on a tight budget, I didn’t want to spend money on my hair but it really needed sorting out. Some of the ladies at Fat Club had been talking yesterday that prices were due to go up again in April so it was urgent that I got in. Emrah’s very busy but he’d got me an appointment for noon and I could see he couldn’t wait to tackle my grey roots! I had a full hair dye, a cut, and curls (even though I said there was no need for the curls). It cost 600 lira (£25.53) which is very good value but had gone up by 34% in 6 months. Once home, I packed and got ready for my pick up from Lukka bar as I was leaving Dalyan for a couple of days or so. I’d arranged to meet Mark at Lukka bar for a quick drink. I was just drinking water but my lift was running late so I decided to have a beer. Of course the driver turned up before I’d had much of it so I gave my beer to Mark and said my goodbyes. I would be away until Sunday so my blog posts would have a little rest for the next 2 days.
The one thing about being apart from your partner on Tuesday 14th March is that you don’t have to partake in Steak & Blow Job day – Google it, it’s a thing now! Lucky for me, because I’m rubbish at cooking steak! By the time I’d woke up Captain Caveman had gone back in to the cave but had messaged me at 4.30am (while my phone was on silent) to ask for me to sort out the payment to our new Pool and Garden maintenance company. Finally the other people on the complex had agreed to let Mehmet Kör at Elite take on the task. It was going to cost 50,000 lira (£2,128) for the year plus there was still the matter of getting the communal electric put back on. On another note, my ‘missing’ parents, who had failed to fly home from their holiday had managed to get in touch. They were in a hotel the other side of the world, somewhere, but the suitcases which were elsewhere had Mom’s phone charger in. Luckily it wasn’t much to worry about but it hadn’t stopped my sister and I having a slight panic on! We didn’t even know which hotel they were at, or even which country for definite. Luckily Ma & Pa managed to reassure me a little, while they sipped on the All Inclusive rum punch, that they would be coming home tomorrow. My food choices started out sensible and, as planned, with wholemeal toast, a cheese triangle and a cup of Yorkshire tea for breakfast. I did a 30 minute walk then popped in to Migros where I bought;
Lunch was the remaining chicken casserole and jacket potato (no butter), then some quark with satsumas. I had a red apple with cheese as a snack and, as I had plans for later, I warmed up a piece of nan bread to prepare me. I had to miss Singing Group in the afternoon but I did pop along to meet Mark and Kate at Tez bar where I decided I would pace myself with just a soda water for 20 lira (85p). I dropped off some old clothes and some cushions for Kaye, who was having a sale for the Earthquake charity this weekend. Daisy’s friend, Phoebe, had arrived and, after Daisy had finished work, we were all going to meet her for a night out. With it being winter, there were still only a few bars open but we decided to meet at Mustang bar. Mark and Kate agreed to come for one but then were going home as Mark was fancying a bit of scampi for dinner. The owner, Salih, let me try the wine, as I’d not been a fan of it last time but it was good tonight. Well, it must have been pretty good as I managed to have 5 red wines, a tequila, some of Daisy’s chips and the free popcorn! There was a cute resident cat who liked to get some attention. Mark and Kate ended up staying for a couple and left around 9.30pm, I got a lift with Mark on the mobility wagon to the bank so we could get more cash out. We had a right old laugh, but once Daisy had split her pants dancing, and Phoebe had started doing some sort of sexy dance, it was time for me to go home! I was home around midnight which wasn’t bad for someone who’s meant to be on a diet! Tomorrow’s weigh-in at Fat Club could be interesting; I’d had more alcohol this week but overall less total syns and a 5th of the sweet stuff compared to the previous week. I’d had exercise on all 7 days and 3 no meat days but would it be enough to still get a loss on Carol’s scales!?
As I’d limited my alcohol consumption to just 2 red wines the previous evening, I was feeling rather fresh when I woke up on Saturday 4th March. I drew out some cash at the bank so that I could get some provisions at the weekly market and I was there nice and early this week. I spent just 137.50 lira (£5.82) on red cabbage, leeks, carrots, peppers, aubergines and strawberries. I also picked up some stuff for Kate and gave a strawberry each to 2 Turkish ladies who I thought might have come from the earthquake area. They were so happy and we exchanged pleasantries, in Turkish. On the way back through town, I saw a lovely horse then I bought reusable cartons for batch cooking from the Millennium shop at 25 lira for 15. I’d held off buying more 4G data for my phone but the rainy weather was forecast for tomorrow and may mean the home internet would be cut off. It cost 115 lira (£4.86) for 5GB. I noticed that Queen Accommodation Services had put up new signs on the apartments that were being rented out on our complex and they looked snazzy. I had the Slimming World tomato soup with cheese on toast for lunch and it was really good. In the afternoon I’d agreed to help Kate so I walked over to their’s. I noticed the newly resurfaced road going out towards their villa with lots of big trucks driving down it. The goats weren’t too happy about the noise or the dust that the big wagons were causing. Mark had already gone to Lukka bar to play pool while Kate and I made jewellery for her forthcoming arts event at Heybe. Kate made cheese and potato ‘sausage’ rolls so we had one before walking in to town to meet Mark. At Lukka I was surprised to see there was only Mark, Jackie and Chris left from the pool group and even more surprising was that Mark was drinking Guinness. Some of the pool lads don’t go to Lukka bar because the beers are 2 lira (8p) more there, than at Rehab bar (I’m not joking)! The Guinness was 80 lira (£3.39) and I’d not realised they did it, it was cheaper than a glass of wine so I had that too. A lady who we call Calamari came to join us and we got chatting. Back home I had the SW tomato soup as a makeshift vegan bolognese with some pasta and a sprinkle of parmesan. It was delicious.
Friday 3rd March was not as healthy or budget friendly as it should’ve been. I started well with 2 slices of wholemeal toast and a cheese triangle, washed down with Yorkshire tea, for breakfast. I got confirmation that our Aussie friends and Dalyan neighbours, Amanda & Greg, were going to be in Dalyan from the 26th March to the 2nd April. It would be over 4 months since they’d last been here and I was looking forward to seeing them again. I tried making my own Slimming World friendly tomato based soup/vegan sauce in the slow cooker and it smelled amazing. For lunch I had a fajita wrap then some falafel with steamed rice, tahini, carrots, radishes and pickled onions. Our Turkish class was cancelled that afternoon because our teacher was on holiday for a couple of weeks. In the afternoon I was on to the bank trying to sort out the issue of them continuing to charge me £13 per month fee for an account I had not used in over a year and was getting nowhere on resolving the issue or stopping it from reoccurring. I logged an official complaint and was only just off the phone almost 2 hours later! I’d promised Jamie I would join him, Drew, the Beverley sisters and some of their friends for Lukka bar music bingo and I was looking forward to it. I managed to make 2 wines last all night but I did treat myself to sweet and sour chicken which was so nice. Both Jamie and Drew had chicken shish for their meal, the Beverley sisters didn’t eat and their friends, Angela and Neil, had burgers. The food was great, the music was fun but we only did one round and it was the 80s. The company was top notch and I had a really great night, singing away to some of my favourite songs and making new friends. After, we played pool but by 10.30pm I was knackered, so was Jamie. This going out drinking and enjoying ourselves so much on a weekend had taken its toll and we said goodnight. My total bill had been 420 lira (£17.75) which was obviously over my budget but I would cut back on the following days to compensate.
Rather than get stressed about lack of money in March, I decided that I would focus on a plan to get through the month. I knew I’d be ok but I just had to be really careful and I had worked out a strict budget until I was back working again. From today, Wednesday 1st March, I would only allow myself to spend a certain amount each day. I was attempting to live on 40% less than Turkey’s minimum wage for this month and I was ready for the challenge! I had wholemeal toast with cream cheese and a cup of Yorkshire tea for breakfast, then I got on the scales at home. I was the same as last week, but Carol’s scales at Fat Club would, once again, be the judge at 3pm. I took my measurements and they didn’t look too peachy either; Bust +1cm, Waist no change, Hips +1cm, Right thigh +1.5cm, Left thigh +0.5cm, Calves no change. An art auction was taking place later this month to raise money for the earthquake survivors so I unpacked some artwork I had. I’d brought 4 Egyptian fine art prints, by David Roberts, over a few years ago but had never put them on the walls, mainly because I don’t have any walls to put them on. I decided I might be able to sell them at the event but when I looked at the value they were worth over £1,000! Kate suggested getting in touch with 2 of the well known art dealers in town, which I did, thinking if I could sell them I could give half to the earthquake fund and keep half for myself. Unfortunately, they were a bit niche for potential Dalyan customers and I didn’t get anywhere with it. Kate kindly offered to transport them back to the UK but it seemed another waste of money, I would bide my time, and be on the look out for someone who appreciates Egyptian fine art. At lunch time I got a welcome surprise, I’d received some money that I’d been owed. I didn’t even eat lunch as I went straight to the bank to take out some cash. At Fat Club it was a really hot day and there was plenty of us at the group today, which was nice. Carol gave us all a bit of a refresher on what the allowances were and how to calculate our syns. I was gobsmacked to find I had not known we could have 2 lots of Healthy A options which is calcium. Since I’d done Slimming World before, the allowance had doubled and I had not realised this – I was so happy about being allowed double the amount of cheese! I got weighed and was relieved to find that I had lost 0.3kg (0.7lb). I was still a little disappointed, though, as I’d only consumed 160 syns this week, of which 61 were alcohol. I’d had 6 days of zero alcohol, 6 days of exercise and 2 meat free days, in fact this was one of my most sensible weeks so far. Carol and the rest of the group were very encouraging and made sure I was still focused on the goal, a loss was a loss and I wasn’t to get too discouraged. One of the ladies had the same happen to her and we thought it might be that my body was getting used to the food I was eating. I drank a 1.5 litre bottle of water for the hour that I was at Nil Lounge hoping to keep my water intake up as much as possible. This week I would try my best to eat well and have lots of fruit and vegetables. After Fat Club, I walked with Andrea and Kate to Rehab bar where I treated myself to 1 beer – my first in 11 days. We had a laugh with the pool group and then Jamie came to pick me up on Derek the scooter. We’d decided to pop to Lukka bar for a bit and I got dropped off at the Turtle Roundabout. I was walking over to Lukka bar when I saw Charlie, the dog, he was walking with Gill, he saw me and went berserk. We stopped traffic and he nearly knocked my glasses off with all the kisses he wanted to give me. It was emotional and it was so lovely to see him still remember me. At Lukka I had 3 soda waters and Jamie asked me if I would come to the music bingo night on Friday. We booked in to join the Beverley Sisters and their friends, plus Drew would be back in Dalyan then so it was a good excuse for a night out. That evening I had a gorgeous dinner; chicken, carrots, cauliflower, broccoli, roast potatoes, stuffing and Yorkshire puddings. I even had some of Kate’s lemon drizzle cake for afters. I was pleased to have been out but still kept within my budget today, I’d spent a total of 144 lira (£6).
Sunday 19th February was a lovely day all round. It was still dark when I set up my makeshift dining area, ready for my first Sunday dinner with 4 guests. Some had doubted I’d get everyone in, in our small apartment, but I’d squeezed in 7 for a curry night once, although that was a bit too much and we didn’t have enough spare chairs. I had a cup of Yorkshire tea and some fruit to start my day off then took a trip to the shop. Here’s what I bought, some of which I needed for today, with the prices in lira:
Migros Supermarket
Fresh ginger 4.00 Fresh bread 5.00 Bottle of water 5.45 Becel spread 17.45 6 bottles of soda water 18.75 Flour 19.50 White beans 27.90 Fresh milk 28.90 Fabric softener 41.50 Falafel 49.90 3 tins of tomatoes 59.76 Toilet roll 68.90 Chicken breasts 78.45 500g Diced beef 82.00 Total spent 507.46 lira (£22.26)
I called at the corner shop to chase up what had happened to my water refill and they had forgotten again. They promised it would be there by noon and it was. Jamie was the first to arrive with his leek and potato soup and a bottle of water with cordial in. Next was Matt with his slippers and he grabbed the orange chair so he could pop them on. Mark and Kate arrived late and hungover after Sofra last night. Kate had brought orange juice and soda water as she wasn’t drinking alcohol today. She’d also brought a huge fruit salad for dessert. Luckily, I had got some cream and some ice-cream at the ready. Mark brought some cans of Efes and had them in a cooler but he too wasn’t feeling like drinking much. I had been looking forward to wine today and had opened a bottle of Tılsım, just for me by the looks of it! After a bit of a chat I warmed up Jamie’s soup in the Pampered Chef jug that he said was microwave friendly. Unfortunately it wasn’t and the handle melted so we had to resort to the good old fashioned pan method. In the to-do I forgot to get the butter out of the fridge but no one commented as we ate the soup and dry bread. Jamie’s soup was packed full of extra veggies and tasted really good. Our next course was more of a chicken casserole with carrots, onion, leeks and boiled potatoes. I served this with Yorkshire puddings and mini jacket potatoes so that it was more diet friendly than a usual roast dinner. Kate had brought some stuffing to accompany it and I’d made a chicken gravy from my own stock for those that wanted it. For afters we were ate the fruit salad with different combinations of toppings (crumbled ginger biscuits, ice-cream and cream). It was a lovely get together and Mark did quite a bit of the washing up and clearing/rinsing the plates as he likes a tidy ship. Once everyone had gone I finished the wine off and chilled out on the sofa for the rest of the day.
On Tuesday 7th February I had an appointment with Vanessa and our friend ‘007’ at 11.15am. The Turkish classes were now back at Lukka bar, which although it was nearer to where I lived, it meant we wouldn’t be going to Ela’s Kitchen. The temptation to have a fry up breakfast would be avoided at least though. For lunch we went to Jiks and all ordered the breakfast, mine without eggs and tomatoes, and it was good, but not a patch on the one at Ela’s Kitchen. After lunch, Vanessa and I tried to buy cutters for removing Brad’s stitches but the pharmacist said he needed to go to a doctor for that. Next, we went to singing group at the Merhaba Cafe, in Mico hotel. As we were leaving I got a message from Jamie, he was at Lukka bar with the Beverley sisters if I fancied popping in. I did and I had myself a beer and some peanuts while chatting away. Mark came to meet us for one and then was off to Tez with Kate, so I joined them. Matt, Vanessa and Brad also came to join as Vanessa had said they all fancied a burger. I unexpectedly decided to join them for food and ordered a cheese burger too, completely forgetting I’d already gone way over my syn allowance and that it was Fat Club tomorrow. Matt didn’t want a burger after all and Tez ordered him a tuna and onion pizza from Pizza 48, which luckily arrived at the same time as the burgers. It was the first time I’d had a burger at Tez bar and I have to say it was absolutely delicious. It was really getting cold at night so by 7.30pm I was back home in front of the TV with a blanket over my legs! As I’d already ruined my diet, I went one step further and ate some of the dark chocolate orange from Josh! I’d gone a bit mad on the spending today, despite me still waiting on some money I was owed. Today I’d spent a whopping 500 lira (just less than £22) on lunch, beers and dinner – I would probably regret not being frugal.
It was very cold when I got up at 7.30am on Sunday 5th February. Norman and Edna were still snoozy and Little Ted had slept longer than yesterday. Teddy was a bit overexcited to see me and accidentally caught my lip with his mouth when he was trying to give me kisses. It hurt but it didn’t draw blood so I thought I’d be ok. While I had my cup of tea, all 3 dogs wanted cuddles and they had to share me, begrudgingly. Norman, Little Ted and I were all squeezed in to the arm chair where the dogs had a nice little nap. I didn’t have chance for any breakfast! Every time Norman snored, Little Ted raised his head in a disapproving manner which was funny.
I decided to try walking all 3 of the dogs together but when I went to get my shoes I’d made a massive error. I’d left them out and at some point, Teddy had chewed them. Luckily I had brought another pair of shoes with me as I had an important lunch date that I didn’t want to miss. The walk with 3 dogs was hilarious and I looked like I was going to get tangled up at one point. I’m sure I heard Edna say to Norman ‘Come back, Charlie’. Little Ted was just happy to be out with his new pals and wanted to jump up a lot. I got back, hoping for a shower but the water was off and I looked a state – I didn’t even have any wet wipes. I used the filter water to clean my teeth and wash my face but that would have to do. The rain was torrential just at the time that I needed to leave, and the water came back on as I was going.
Video of Teddy being a bit friendly with his toy
Lukka bar had reopened this weekend and was doing Sunday lunch today. I’d already asked some friends if they fancied it and I’d remembered that Vanessa’s son, Brad, loved a Sunday dinner as she had mentioned they often go out together for one in the UK. We had all pre ordered our meals and agreed to meet at 2pm at Lukka bar. The Beef Sunday dinner was 255 lira (£11.10), the chicken dinner is only 185 lira (£8.05). The portion size is massive so I took Tupperware for any leftovers (I hate wasting food and money). On arrival, Linda and I decided to splash out on a bottle of red wine between us, Nanny Kay was driving so had a soft drink. Brad arrived extremely apologetic having not been able to find where Vanessa had hidden the house keys, making him a tad late. He ordered a beer and I introduced him to Linda and Nanny Kay. Linda and I had lots of cat talk as she was looking after Kate’s 6 cats for the first time in ages and had taken over from Vinnie. When the food came it looked fantastic, there was no cheese sauce on the cauliflower, as advertised, and I had my gravy on the side so I could do damage limitations on my Slimming World diet. Nanny Kay was short on carrots and the Brussel sprouts could do with a few minutes more cooking as they were too hard, so I let the waiter know for future diners. The Yorkshire puddings are phenomenal and the biggest I’ve ever had, this is a good recommendation to a Turkish chef from a Yorkshire lass, who hasn’t been to England for 13 months. I thoroughly enjoyed the dinner and the company, we had a break before dessert where I filled my Tupperware with half of my dinner, plus the others’ spare sprouts and Nanny Kay’s left over Yorkshire pud. I had a smaller Tupperware which I intended the apple crumble to go in, however, when it came I couldn’t resist it. We’d all had a jolly good time but the rain was threatening again so we said our farewells. Nanny Kay drove home, Linda cycled to Mark and Kate’s and, as you may have guessed, Brad and I decided we could probably have another drink!
Brad kindly agreed to a dog walk, to walk off a bit of our Sunday dinner and get some exercise for his recovering knee. I had to call in to Captain Caveman’s apartment briefly on the way. As I pointed out to duck under the rose thorns, Brad snapped the stems with his bare hands and tucked them in to the plant – that was that problem solved! We went to Jamie’s and collected all 3 dogs who were obviously pleased to be getting out after being left for 3 hours, Little Ted in his crate. When I told them we would have a walk to the Waterfall, Edna was beside herself with excitement at the chance to see Skippy. Little Ted didn’t remember what Waterfall meant but was enthusiastic regardless. After a walk around the block and round by Poo corner we arrived at the Waterfall. All the dogs were made welcome and a fuss made of them but Skippy wasn’t there to see that I’d not shrunk Norman. Brad and I got chatting, the dogs were quite happy and we ended up having a couple more drinks in the Waterfall where it was toasty warm. We were reassuring ourselves that we were quite fortunate not to be on the all inclusive-big-bender weekend for Alp’s birthday. We knew that without our partners there we’d probably have had alcohol poisoning by now, as well as putting on loads of weight from the all you can eat food! We had a good laugh and when it got to the dog’s dinner time we decided to grab more drinks and go back to Jamie’s.
I never thought to offer Brad the WiFi password at Jamie’s villa and we were just so busy chatting that we didn’t check our phones. After more red wine for me and beer for Brad I decided to do us a curry for dinner. I was a bit drunk and had to do the rice in a pan for the first time in years, the curry was a vegetarian Dahl type so I chucked in some leftover cooked chicken from Jamie’s fridge. It was pretty good and we ate it all, as if we’d not already had a big lunch! We didn’t realise the time until Vanessa messaged to check Brad was ok! As no one had heard from him, and he’d only gone out for Sunday lunch with the ‘oldies’ at 2pm, there were concerns from his girlfriend and parents. It was after midnight when Brad left and I told him to message me once he got home. I got in bed and fell asleep before seeing that message.
On Saturday 4th February I’d set my alarm for 8am. All the dogs were meant to be able to sleep in until this time, however, that didn’t happen. I was woken up at 6.20am by Little Ted whining and scratching to get out of his crate. I let all the dogs out on to the back garden for ablutions and Teddy did a wee, he also did 2 more in the kitchen when he came back in. I gave him some cuddles hoping he might go back to sleep but he just wanted attention and to play or be fussed. Norman and Edna went back to bed on my bed upstairs and didn’t resurface for ages, they were still not impressed with their new buddy. I was just glad to see they were no longer hiding behind the cushions in Safety Corner.
We had a couple of walks, Teddy first, and then some more play time. Jamie had left me some vegetable soup which I had for lunch, it was Slimming World friendly and very tasty and filling. In the afternoon I got all 3 dogs outside playing on the back garden and tried to get Norman to teach Little Ted football. I think I had more fun than the dogs but I did make some cute videos for Jamie and Katrina on our group chat.
Video of Teddy asking to be Norman and Edna’s friendVideo of Norman and Edna playing ball Video of me playing football with the dogs
I’d had a welcome invitation from Debbie (Darling) to meet her for a drink later but I felt like I didn’t really want to leave all 3 dogs at home to go to Sofra bar. Dogs aren’t allowed in Sofra, and it tends to be the usual late afternoon/early evening busy drinking spot on a Saturday. I said I’d be able to make it for a wine or two at Waterfall bar instead, because then I would be able to bring the dogs. Debbie (Darling) said she’d also asked Ann and would see me there – perfect.
On my first visit to Waterfall I took Little Ted, he was enthusiastic but I had to pick him up and hold him while at the bar. Skippy arrived and was most upset that I had shrunk Norman and was quite perturbed that ‘Norman’ didn’t seem to recognise him. Debbie (Darling) kindly got me some kitchen roll when she called at the shop for crisps while Little Ted decided he liked chewing the bar. When Debbie (Darling) said she felt a bit under the weather, we were concerned that it may mean their drinking session would be cut short. After 1 red wine I left the 2 ladies finishing their drinks while I took Little Ted home to exchange him for Norman and Edna.
When I returned, at 5pm, with Jamie’s 2 dogs, Skippy was even more confused that Norman was now back to full size. I was also surprised to see that Debbie (Darling) had phoned a taxi and was off, as she was feeling no better. I didn’t want to leave the dogs, especially with it being my first time with a puppy, so after my 2nd glass of wine I was going ‘home’ to give all the dogs their dinner. As Ann’s Saturday night out had come to an end, I invited her back to Jamie’s with me.
Ann bought white wine and some snacks from the shop next door, then we stopped at the baklava van where we spent 70 lira (£3.07) on a bit of sweet pastry that I really shouldn’t be having on my diet. Luckily, I had some beef bourguignon left so I got that in a pan then made some Yorkshire puddings to go with it. I’d now gone way over on my weekly syn allowance and would probably regret it on Wednesday at Fat Club but I can’t resist a Yorkshire pud. I had 2 more glasses of wine to join Ann but, alas, she also had to head home to sort out her own dogs. It was hard work having 3 dogs, a dinner guest and some Yorkshire puddings to attend to but I managed it, just about, and was absolutely shattered. I’d got left over Yorkshires so once they had cooled they went in the freezer for another time. It had been a very unexpected and lovely afternoon spent with friends and doggies.
I felt absolutely shattered on Friday 27th January, after only a few hours sleep. Charlie was in Abi’s bed with me and he’d been scared of the wind during the night. At 8.30am I went to survey the outside balconies and found the furniture had blown everywhere. A screen fence had fell off the roof and I could see that on the ground there was some damage to the front of the complex fence. There was a slight gap in the rain storms so I got my casual clothes and a big coat on to go for a jog with Charlie. We had to be quick as the rain was threatening the whole time we were out and the wind was still blustery. We’d just got in when the torrential rain came and Charlie was scared. I snuggled him up in his favourite blanket and made sure he had Slothy, his best toy, with him while I went out for just over an hour to Turkish class. When I got back, I’d got a bit wet in the rain so went to have a shower. Charlie was still worried about the storm so he came in the bathroom too. I spoke to Helen about Gill, her friend who was taking Charlie, arriving later today. She sent me Gill’s number so that I could discuss directly about me dropping Charlie off this weekend. It wouldn’t be tonight as Gill was still on her way to Turkey, but tonight would probably be my last one with Charlie. Meanwhile, Captain Caveman had arrived back in Phong Nha and was at his Oxalis briefing ready for his tour tomorrow. That evening, I had something planned which even the manager at the venue had been sceptical about because of the weather.
I’d originally planned to go to Fethiye for the day with Jamie, Ann and Nanny Kay where, instead of drinking too much, we would go bowling to celebrate my birthday. In the end we’d decided not to go as I would have had to miss Turkish class and it could be too busy with families at a weekend. We would go for a meal and drinks in Dalyan instead and we decided Hotel Dalyance was a good choice for everyone. I’d not been in ages and I love the food there. We also had the added surprise that Jamie’s partner, Drew, had decided to come to Dalyan and had just arrived. The 5 of us had a lovely table and by 6.20pm I had a beer and a red wine on the go while tucking in to the complimentary bread and olives. Nanny Kay bought me a bottle of red wine with some Smarties and a chocolate bar attached which was very generous of her, especially as I thought that she already gave me a bottle of wine for my birthday. That one was just for having her over for dinner, as it turns out, so I wasn’t complaining and it was much appreciated. Sarah came to take our order and she recommended the pepper chicken for me, which sounded good. When it came, I was very impressed and it tasted delicious. I enjoyed my night, the food and wine at Hotel Dalyance with my friends but we were getting the bill before 9pm! It looked like the night was coming to an end quite early on a Friday night, luckily I’d not dressed up for it but everyone I was with looked like they had made a bit more effort. Jamie, Drew, Nanny Kay and I decided we would go for 1 or 2 more at Sofra bar. Ann said her goodbyes and went back home as she didn’t fancy going on for another drink as she was closer to home at Hotel Dalyance.
When we got there, it was pretty quiet but I had a couple of red wines while the boys managed 2 bottles of wine between them. Nanny Kay and I were having a nice chat when Mark walked in and joined our table. Sofra is one of the main go-to weekend bars for most of the expats during the winter and, as Kate was due back from England tomorrow, it was not surprising to see Mark on his last night of playing out. I limited myself to just the 2 red wines as I’d definitely had my fill with the 2 bottles of wine we’d shared at Dalyance. Nanny Kay was sensible and had just the one red wine in Sofra and a taxi home. I was home before midnight, Mark dropped me off in his taxi, and unfortunately Gill’s flight had been redirected to Heraklion in Greece due to the bad weather. I played catch Slothy with Charlie and told him he’d be going to stay with Gill at some point this weekend. I’m not sure why but he started licking my feet and we were still up at 1.30am.
joloyolo 